Jeff Kagan: "This isn't going to be a ripple on a pond. It's a tidal wave from a boulder." Scott Cleland: "This is a case of lose-lose. It's like a virus that gets spread to everyone. Suppliers get shortchanged. People who do business with them get shortchanged. A lot of bad debt will get absorbed." Meta Group: "This is going to be the big event that we're going to look back on and say 'That was the turning point.'" The worst case scenario for the industry is a WorldCom that sheds its debts in bankruptcy, only to resume aggressive competition -- reducing long-distance rates further in an attempt to gain subscribers. "That would be a disaster." |